Airport terminal extension planned

Fraport Greece has recently commissioned the UK-based firm The Design Solution (TDS) to develop the master plan for the expansion of the airport terminal. This assignment represents an official move toward the next phase of the project—namely, detailed studies, advanced design, and preparation for construction. According to relevant announcements and Fraport’s investment strategy for Greek regional airports, including CFU, the expansion is expected to increase the terminal’s floor area and improve passenger flow, commercial areas, and operational infrastructure.

To date, no official start date has been announced for the construction works related to the terminal expansion.

TDS’s current role concerns preparation and design, which is the phase preceding the issuance of final permits, tendering procedures, and the selection of contractors. This means that studies are completed first, permits are then secured, and construction follows. At present, there is no publicly confirmed timeline for the start of construction. Such projects typically require multiple stages of planning, environmental permitting, and financial structuring; therefore, it is more likely that works will begin after 2026, unless Fraport or public authorities announce a specific schedule during 2026.

Meanwhile, independently of the terminal expansion, the airport is undergoing an infrastructure upgrade programme, including works on the runway, which involve partial operational shutdowns for extensive safety-related works and compliance with European standards. As is already known, a full suspension of airport operations is scheduled from 12 to 26 January 2026 for runway works. Specifically, this concerns the completion of runway lighting, which constitutes the final phase of compliance works with the recommendations issued since 2013 by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for airports.

GIORGOS KATSAITIS